Fuse, cut-out, and adapter



Aug. 7, 1934. Q w, COWLES 1,969,257

FUSE, CUT-OUT, AND ADAPTER n Filed Marchv 15, 1932 9g /NVE/vm/l? 92 96 CL/FFOHD [/l/ COM/55;

94 @Y fw i im F/:

- Patented Aug. 7,1934`v PATENT oFFlcE rosa, cor-our;

canora w. Cowles; New Britain, conn., assigner of one-half to I'edcrick L. Benson, Plainville,

Conn.

Application March 15, 1932, Serial No. 598,903 25 Claims. (CL 2ML-119) 'lhis invention relates to fuses, cut-outs, and adapters and comprises all of the features of novelty herein disclosed. An object of the invention is toprovide an adapter to enablemy improved plug fuse to be used in fuse sockets or ,cut-outs of common form, especially as now in use. Another object is to provide improved safety fuses and cut-'outs which will be eifective in resisting overfusing or shunting of terminals. To these ends and to improve generally I upon devices of this character, the invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed. In its broader aspects, the invention is not necessarily limitedvto the specific construction selected for illustrative purposes in the accompanying drawing 'in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a fuse and cutout.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the adapter. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the adapter ready to enter a common form of socket.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a spring contact. The numeral 2 indicates an insulating panel or base, preferably of bakelite or porcelain, and

' 25 having a recess 4 containing a load conductor 6 fastened against a top wall 8 by a screw bolt 10. A spring contact or terminal 12 is secured by a rivet 14 to the conductor 6, its springy end underlying an opening 15 in the wall 8. The upper surface of the base is recessed to receive a line conductor 16 which is clamped by a bolt 18 and a/nut 20. The heads of the bolts 10 and 18 occupy recesses 22 in a ring or plate 24 of insulating material which is also clamped to the base by the bolts. The conductor 16 is bent upwardly at 26 in a tapering recess of the ring 24 and has a. looped or annular terminal 28 which rests against a ledge or shelf V30 on an internally threaded socket-piece 32. An annular recess 34 is left between the outer side wall of the socket-piece 32 and the inner side wall of the ring 24. The recess is narrow but, as will appear, permits the insertion of a properly selected fuse terminal. An insulating guard or cover 36 encloses the outer portions of the ring 24 and is provided with a circular hole 38 to admit a fuse. The foregoing constitutes a cut-out which presents certain features of simplification, economy and advantage over my priorPatent 1,793,-

5o 305, Ygranted Feb. 17, ,1931.

. The improved plug fuse Aincludes an externallythreadedplugmhavingatoprecessreceiving a portion of an upper block 42, the block and plug being of insulating material and united t5 by a metal rivet or stud44. The stud has a collar 46 and an expanded head 48 and its lower end is adapted to pass through the opening 15 of the cut-out when the threaded plug 40 is screwed home in the socket piece 32. A bit of solder 50 connects a fusible strip or link 52 to the expanded rivet head 48, suitable insulating dope or cement 53 closing the riveted joints from passage of flame. The fusible link 52 is bent in the vusual fashion and is connected to a terminal ilap 54 which passes upwardly through the cement 53 and through a hole in the block 42 from a flange 56 on a ferrule or tubular terminal 58.

The flange 56 rests on a collar 60 of the plug 40, and the terminal 58 projects downwardly beyond the collar, the amount of projection being just sufficient to fill the recess 34 and make good contact withthe looped terminal 28. As explained morefully inr my prior patent, higher capacity fuses'will or can have a shorter terminal member v58 so that the cut-out cannot be overfused. These higher capacity fuses with shorter terminals will however be applicable to a proper cut-out or socket wherein the recess 34 is shallower. I now prefer to make the capacity vary with the diameter of terminals. A collar 62 on the upper block 42 is spaced from the collar to receive both the flange 56 and a ring or washer 64. The washer carries an upwardly bent yieldable rim provided with a spring bead 66 entering a groove in an insulating housing or cap 68. The cap has'the usual window 70 and is provided with suitable ventilating iiues '72. Metal parts are preferably stamped out of sheet brass. The parts are easily assembled and effectively held together by the A rivet or stud. The threads on the plug 40 notA only hold the plug firmly seated but make it practically impossible to shunt a burnt-out fuse because even a ne wire cannot be run from the terminal 28 to the terminal 12 along the threads.

Referring to Fig. 3, 76 represents a common socket having a threaded brass terminal or shell 78 and a center contact screw 80. In order to enable suchvsockets to be used temporarily with my improved safety fuse, this invention providesan adapter to'connect them. The adapter comprises a socket-piece 82, a ring or sleeve 84, and a washer 86, all forming a three-piece body of insulating material, such as bakelite. A tubular holder or rivet 87 traverses aligned holes in the socket-piece and washer and has a. lower head or flange 88 gripping an apertured plate 90 provided with a leg 92, a contact plate 94, a leg 96, and a contact plate 98, thev latter extending back below the flange 88. The upper head or flange 100 of the rivet grips a wall 102 forming the bottom of the threaded socket and holds the parts assembled.

Fitting ,the inner wall of the ring or sleeve 84 is a tube 104 having an inwardly bent annular ilange or terminal 106 engaging a shoulder on the socket-piece 82. An outwardly bent abutment flange 108fengages the lower end of the sleeve 84. A threaded brass terminal or shell 110 encloses a reduced' portion of the sleeve and has a ilange 112 bent inwardly between 4the, flange 108 and the rim of the insulating washer 86 which is yieldable when the upper head 100 of the tubular rivet is upset. Thus all parts are easily assembled and reliably united. The adapter can be screwed into the shell '18 until the plate 94 yieldably engages the center contact screw 80. Any suitable lock may be used to prevent removal of the adapter, such as a rod 114 inserted tangentially into holes in the shell 110 and in the sleeve 84, in a direction to jam or otherwise resist backward turning. An annular recess 116 above the terminal flange 106 corresponds to the recess 34 of Fig. 1 and receives the tubular terminal 58 of the fuse. The internally threaded socket piece 82 corresponds to the socket piece 32 of Fig. 1 and receives the threaded plug 40 of the fuse. The projecting stud 44 of the fuse is adapted to pass through the tubular rivet 87 to yieldably engage the contact plate 98.

I claim:

1. In an adapter, a body of insulating material having a central opening and a narrow annular recess, an exterior threaded shell terminal on the body for screwing into a cut-out, and a terminal in the recess and connected to the shell terminal.

2. In an adapter, a body of insulating material having an opening and a narrow recess outside of the opening, a threaded shell terminal on the body, a terminal at the bottom of the recess and connected to the shell terminal, and a contact plate in line with the opening.

3. In an adapter, a body of insulating material having an opening and a narrow recess outside of the opening, an exterior shell terminal on the body, a terminal at the bottom of the recess and connected to the shell terminal, and a threaded socket formed in the insulation of the body.

4. In an adapter, a body of insulating material having an opening and a narrow recess outside of the opening, an exterior shell terminal on the body, a terminal at the bottom of the recess and connected to the shell terminal, a contact plate adjacent to the opening for contact with a stud passed through the opening, and a threaded socket formed in the body and adapted to receive a threaded plug.

5. In an adapter, a body of insulating material having a central opening and a narrow annular recess, a threaded shell terminal on the body, an annular terminal at the bottom of the recess and electrically connected to the shell terminal, a threaded socket in the body and adapted to receive a threaded plug, and a contact plate supported by the body adjacent to the opening for contact with a stud.

6. In an adapter, a body of insulating material having an opening and a narrow recess, an exterior shell terminal on the body, a terminal at the bottom of the recess and connected to the shell terminal, a tubular holder in the body opening, and a contact plate supported by the holder in line with the opening.

7. In an adapter, a body of insulating material having a central opening, a tubular holder in the opening, and a pair of yieldably connected contact plates carried by the holder and disposed in line with the opening.

8. In an adapter, a body of insulating material having a central opening, a tubular holder in the opening, and a yieldable member carried by the holder and comprising a lower contact plate, and an upper contact plate spaced apart in line with the opening.

9. In an adapter, a body comprising a socketpiece and a washer of insulating material, a

i.tubular holder connecting the socket-piece and the washer, and a contact plate supported by the tubular holder and being yieldable with respect thereto.

10. In an adapter, a body comprising a socketpiece and a washer of insulating material, the socket-piece having internal threads adapted to receive a.v threaded plug and an opening for a stud, and a tubular holder traversing the opening of the socket-piece and the opening in the washer to hold the two elements together.

11. In an adapter, a body comprising a socketpiece and a washer oi insulating material, the socket-piece having an opening, a contact plate having an opening, and a tubular holder traversing the openings in the socket-piece, washer and contact plate, and the contact plate extending to a position in line with the opening in the tubular holder.

12. In an adapter, a body comprising a socket piece and a sleeve of insulating material, the sleeve surrounding the socket-piece and being spaced therefrom to form a narrow recess, and a tube inside of the sleeve and having a terminal portion forming the bottom of the recess.

13. In an adapter, a body comprising a socketpiece and a sleeve of insulating material, a tube between the socket-piece and the sleeve, a terminal flange on the tube and engaging the socket piece, and an abutment flange on the tube and engaging the sleeve.

14. In an adapter, a body comprising a socketpiece and a sleeve of insulating material, a tube between the socket piece and the sleeve, a teri minal flange extending inwardly from the tube and engaging a shoulder on the socket-piece, and an abutment flange extending outwardly from the tube and engaging the end of the sleeve.

15. In an adapter, a body comprising a socketpiece and a sleeve of insulating material, a tube between the socket-piece and the sleeve, a terminal flange on the tube and engaging the socket-piece, an abutment iiange on thetube and engaging the sleeve, and a threaded shell on the sleeve and engaging the abutment flange.

16. In an adapter, a body comprising a socketpiece and a sleeve of insulating material, a tube between the socket-piece and the sleeve, a terminal flange on the tube and engaging the socket-piece, an abutment ilange on the tube and engaging the sleeve, a threaded shell on the sleeve and having a flange engaging the abutment flange, and an insulating washer engaging the flange of the shell.

17. In an adapter, a body comprising a socketpiece, sleeve and washer of insulating material, a tube between the socket-piece and sleeve, and a threaded shell on the sleeve, the tube and the shell having flanges engaging one another between the washer and the sleeve.

18. In an adapter. a body comprising a socketpiece and a sleeve of insulating material, the sleeve being spaced from the socket-piece to form a narrow recess, a threaded shell on the sleeve, a terminal at the bottomv of the recess, andmeans for electrically connecting the terminal to the shell.-

19. In adevice of the character described, a body of insulating material having a threaded socket anda narrow annular recess outside of the socket,.a terminal at the bottom of the recess, a terminal below the socket, a fuse having a threaded plug to nt the threaded socket and a tubular-terminal to llt lin said recess, and a stud projecting from the threaded plug to engage the terminal below the socket. v

20. In a device of the character` described, a fuse comprising a housing and a threaded plug of insulating material, a fusible element in the housing, a tuhularterminal having electrical connection with the fusible element and profjecting from the fuse in spaced relation to the threaded plug, and a stud electrically connected to the fusible element and projecting through the threaded P1118 21. In a device of thecharacter described, a

, cut-out comprising a threaded socket of insulating material with an annular recess, a looped terminal forming the bottom of the recess and electrically connected to a line, the socket having an opening smaller than the threaded portion, and a terminal inline with the opening and electrically connected to a load circuit.

22. In 'a device of the character described. a

fuse comprising a housing'and a threaded plug of .the plug; substantially as described.

insulating material projecting from the house,

a fusible element in the housing, al terminal carried by the fuse and spaced from the threaded portion, the terminal being connected to the fusible element, and a stud electrically connected to the fusible element and projecting through and beyond the threaded plug; substantially as described.

' 23. In a device of the character described, a fuse comprising a housing and a plug of insulating material, a fusible element in the housing, a stud electrically connected tothe fusible element and projecting through and beyond the plug, the plug having a collar, and a tubular terminal having ailange supported by the collar and connected to the fusible element; substantially as described.

A24. In a. device of the character described, a fuse comprising a plug of insulating material having a collar. a block of insulating material having a collar spaced from the rst mentioned collar, a. tubular terminal having a flange between said collars and connected to a fusible element, and a stud connected to the fusible element and projecting through the block and a. washerl carried by the plug and having a rim entering said groove; substantially as described.

CLIFFORD w. COMES. 11.0 

